The background of the invention will be discussed in two parts:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to an electrical connector for receiving a printed circuit board of the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Connectors configured for receiving printed circuit boards have become increasingly common due to the technological advancements in integrated circuitry resulting in more functional circuits being placed on one chip of smaller configuration. With printed circuit boards replacing hard wired circuits, the overall height of the assembled printed circuit board has decreased to shallow dimensions. Additionally, such items as key boards and displays or the like are assembled on printed circuit boards having one edge thereof provided with a plurality of aligned conductive pads configured for engagement by spring contact members of a connector.
Such connectors may be of the two-sided connector, that is, having a receptacle for receiving the edge of the printed circuit board with aligned pairs of inwardly extending contact members being disposed within the receptacle for engaging conductive pads on both sides of the printed circuit board. Other such connectors may be of a one-sided configuration having a plastic molded connector body with contact members molded therein in aligned relation, the contact members having a generally J-shaped configuration with the long arms thereof generally perpendicular to the plane of the connector body and the curved or bent portions thereof extending inwardly and downwardly toward the connector body, the resilients of the contact members retaining the edge of the printed circuit board in position, the edge being inserted into the opening between the terminal edges of the contact members and the plane of the connector body. When sliding the printed circuit board along the plane of the connector body into the opening, a relatively high insertion force is required since the terminal edges of the contact members define a line relative to the plane of the connector body resulting in an opening between this line and the body having a height less than the thickness of the edge of the printed circuit board. Furthermore, unless this insertion is effected properly, the contact members being of relatively thin gage brass or the like are subject to deforming resulting in no contact or poor electrical contact.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved connector for receiving printed circuit boards or the like.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a low insertion force connector.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved connector having means for locking the inserted part.